Above all else, Jean-Paul Sartre is remembered for his existential
philosophies presented in his writing. Even Sartre himself referred
to his works as existential. Since existentialism is based on the free
will of man, it is not a modern philosophy, but goes back to
Biblical times. Modern existentialism, however, became popular in
the nineteenth century. Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher,
was one of the founders of modern existentialism. As a Christian,
he believed that man had to choose whether to have a life with
Christ or without Christ; however, even if man accepted Christian
beliefs, Kierkegaard felt that man was destined to experience some
level of despair. Those who wallowed in their despair became
physically sick and incapable of action; their life had no meaning
for them.

Martin Heidegger, a German philosopher, did not agree with
Kierkegaard's existential philosophies. Since he was an atheist who
believed in no higher being, Heidegger believed that all of
existence had no meaning. He further believed that man spent his
life filled with toil and dread, but in the end, at the time of death,
all the care and concern ended in nothingness.

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Sartre's existentialism was influenced by both Kierkegaard and
Heidegger. As a child, Sartre was brought up in a Catholic
environment, but as an adult he claimed to be an atheist, denying
the existence of God; as a result, he was more influenced by
Heidegger than Kierkegaard. In all of his works, Sartre questions
why anything exists and decides that the universe is irrational and
meaningless and that neither life nor death has a purpose or
explanation. In addition, he believed that man only exists to be the
person he chooses to be; it is imperative to him that man think for
himself and make his own decisions about his political, social, and
moral beliefs. Unfortunately, man seldom recognizes and accepts
his freedom to establish one's own standards and become whatever
he wishes; he also fails to accept responsibility for his behavior,
particularly his failures. Instead, man lies to himself about his true
being and lives a life of self-deception, dread, and misery. Because
man refuses to know himself and strive for total self-sufficiency,
Sartre believes that human activity is really futile. In fact, he states
that "man is a useless passion," and that life is absurd.

The development of Sartre's existential philosophies came during
and after World War II and largely in reaction to the totalitarianism
of Hitler, who forced people to support his beliefs or perish.
Because the people of Europe were totally disillusioned after the
war, they claimed that life seemed absurd and questioned if there
really was a God. As a result, many of them could easily accept
Sartre's existential beliefs, and he became a popular writer.